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The Trial of Anthony Burns Study Guide

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The following study guide is taken from the book And Justice for Some by Wendy Lement and Bethany Dunakin, in which the script for the play And Justice for Some: The Trial of Anthony Burns was published. The Trial of Anthony Burns Study Guide Learning Goals 1. To explore the tension between human and moral law 2. To examine the evolutionary nature of the U.S. justice system 3. To determine what role the abolitionists played in the events leading up to the Civil War 4. To explore the abolitionists’ goals and strategies in defending Anthony Burns What Happened in History Massachusetts was at the center of the abolitionist movement in pre-Civil War America. However, escaping from slavery was illegal, and state judges were compelled by the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 to return runaway slaves to their owners in the South. In 1854, a slave named Anthony Burns escaped to Boston where he lived as a free man until he was captured and placed on trial. Before the trial, local residents—including twenty-two-year-old Louisa May Alcott—descended upon Faneuil Hall for a freedom rally that erupted into a violent riot outside the Courthouse where Burns was held. During the trial, Richard Henry Dana and a team of prominent Boston lawyers fiercely defended Burns’ right to freedom. Citing the Fugitive Slave Law, Judge Edward G. Loring rejected their arguments and returned Burns to his Southern master. This action galvanized abolitionists and converted conservative citizens into militant freedom fighters. Indignation over the Burns case helped give bith to the Republican Party, propelled Abraham Lincoln to the White House, and eventually led to the Civil War. In 1858, a partisan Massachusetts Legislature voted to remove Loring as judge of probate for his unpopular verdict in the Burns case. Historical Timeline September 1850: The Fugitive Slave Law passes as part of the Compromise of 1850. March 1854: Anthony Burns, an escaped slave from Virginia, arrives in Boston, Massachusetts. Wednesday, 24 May: Burns is arrested as a suspect in a jewelry store robbery. At the Courthouse, Burns is confronted by his owner, Charles Suttle, and Suttle’s slave agent William Brent. Burns acknowledges Suttle by calling him “master.” Thursday, 25 May: At the Courthouse, Richard Henry Dana, a prominent lawyer and supporter of the abolitionist cause, approaches Burns. Wary of his fate at the hands of an angry Colonel Suttle, Burns feels it is best not to resist. Despite Burns’ reluctance, the Reverend Theodore Parker convinces him to allow Dana and other lawyers to defend him. Dana, now acting as Burns’ lawyer, requests a delay in the trial. He is granted two days. Friday, 26 May: Over two thousand abolitionists meet at Faneuil Hall. The crowd reaches a fevered pitch when Reverend Thomas Higginson bursts in and announces that a mob of angry Negroes is storming the Courthouse. The crowd surges out of the meeting and proceeds to the Courthouse. The group is disorganized and out of control, and numbers dwindle by the time they reach their destination. Marshal Freeman’s guards are given advanced warning and prepare for the arrival of the abolitionists. The angry mob breaks a door down and a guard named James Batchelder is killed. Nine or ten attackers are arrested. Saturday, 27 May: At Burns’ hearing, crowds on both sides of the issue gather outside the Courthouse. The mayor orders U.S. troops to guard the Courthouse, making it very difficult for even the lawyers to make their way into the courtroom. Burns’ lawyers request and are granted a delay until Monday. Marshal Freeman wires President Franklin Pierce, who supports the Fugitive Slave Act, to approve his use of U.S. troops. Pierce instructs him to use whatever means necessary to maintain order. That evening, Reverend Grimes tries to collect money to purchase Burns from Suttle, based on Suttle’s verbal agreement to sell him. Monday, 29 May: Suttle’s lawyer advises his client that it is against the law to sell or purchase a slave in Massachusetts. Suttle backs out of the sales agreement with Grimes. The court proceedings officially begin, and for the first time in Boston history, the Courthouse is closed to the public. Monday – Wednesday, 29 – 31 May: The evidence against Burns rests on two important facts. First, William Brent, Suttle’s slave agent testifies that Burns disappeared on 24 March. Second, Burns’ statements to Suttle after his arrest on 24 May help to confirm his identity. Burns’ lawyers use a loophole in the Fugitive Slave Law and attempt to prove that Burns is not the same man who escaped from Colonel Suttle. To support their claim, the defense presents nine witnesses who testify that they saw Burns before 24 March, the day that Suttle claims he escaped. By the end of the day on 30 May, the public believes that Burns will likely be released. Thursday, 1 June: Judge Edward G. Loring renders his decision. Based on Burns’ conversation with Colonel Suttle, his identity is deemed irrefutable and therefore Burns is to be returned to Virginia. Friday, 2 June: Burns is brought by procession to a ship that will take him back to Virginia. The city is placed under martial law for most of the day. Vocabulary Abolition Movement: a social movement made up of people trying to end slavery in the United States Abolitionist: someone fighting to end slavery Compromise of 1850: an agreement reached by the U.S. Senate that established many controversial policies related to slavery Fugitive Slave Law: This law was part of the “Compromise of 1850” in which antislavery advocates gained the admission of California as a free state, and the prohibition of slave trading in the District of Columbia. The slavery party received concessions with regard to slaveholding in Texas. Passage of this law was so hated by abolitionists that its existence played a pivotal role in ending slavery. This law also spurred the continued operation of the fabled Underground Railroad, a network of over three thousand homes and other “stations” that helped escaping slaves travel from the southern slave-holding states to the northern states and Canada. Kansas-Nebraska Act: Passed in 1854, this law permitted slavery in the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, marking a turning point in slave ownership in the United States. Martial Law: a temporary rule by military authorities over the civilian population, such as in an area of military operations in time of war, or when civil authority has broken down Massachusetts Personal Liberty Act (1855): As a result of the uproar over the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850, and the capture and extradition of Anthony Burns in 1854, Massachusetts passed so-called “personal liberty” acts aimed at thwarting federal requirements. The state laws guaranteed the writ of habeas corpus , the right to a jury trial, and other procedural devices that protected runaways. The laws also made it difficult and costly for slave owners to prove their case in court. A key provision called for the removal of any state official who aided in the return of runaway slaves. The personal liberty laws, while anathema in the South, reflected the growing opposition of mainstream northern society to the “peculiar institution.” Key Players in The Trial of Anthony Burns ANTHONY BURNS was a fugitive slave who escaped from Virginia to Boston, Massachusetts in 1854. RICHARD HENRY DANA was the leading abolitionist lawyer for Burns. Though he opposed the Fugitive Slave Law, he believed in the sanctity of the law and respect for those who must uphold it. After Burns’ trial, he supported Judge Loring and opposed the State Senate’s decision to remove him from his position. REVEREND LEONARD GRIMES was a leader of the black abolitionist movement in Boston and pastor of the Twelfth Baptist Church of Boston, known as the fugitive slave church. THOMAS WENTWORTH HIGGINSON was a minister and abolitionist from Worcester, Massachusetts. Higginson fervently opposed the Fugitive Slave Law and believed in defending the freedom of escaped slaves at any cost. He was one of the major organizers of the attempt to rescue Burns from the Boston Courthouse. JUDGE EDWARD G. LORING was both a Judge of Probate and the Commissioner presiding over fugitive slave cases in Massachusetts. COLONEL CHARLES F. SUTTLE was the owner of the slave Anthony Burns. OFFICER JAMES BATCHELDER was a Marhsal’s guard who was killed during the storming of the Boston Courthouse. WENDELL PHILLIPS was a prominent abolitionist lawyer and orator. He was put on trial for his role in the failed attempt to rescue Burns. LOUISA MAY ALCOTT was from a prominent family in Concord, Massachusetts, who was active in the abolitionist movement. Author of Little Women , Alcott became a famous writer. Pre-Lesson Plans The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850—Part One Goals 1. To examine the goals and rationale behind the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 2. To acquaint students with the idea of working in role Objectives 1. To briefly review major conflicts of pre-Civil War America 2. To interpret selected text from the Fugitive Slave Law 3. To speculate on the objectives of legislators who drafted the Fugitive Slave Law Method 1. Discuss the role of historians in society. What do they do? What are some of their goals? Methods? How do they interpret the past? What are their limitations? 2. In pairs, ask students to discuss what they think was happening in pre-Civil War America—around 1850. Ask each pair to share their thoughts with the class and list them on the blackboard. In groups of five or six, instruct students to go up to the board and put a question mark next to any item that they are not sure of (their own or someone else’s).
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